Buddhist Church of San Francisco records, 1910-1980

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Summary

Creators:
Buddhist Church of San Francisco
Abstract:
Founded in 1898, the Buddhist Church of San Francisco was the first Jodo Shinshu (Pure Land) Buddhist temple established in the continental United States and is the flagship temple of the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA). The Buddhist Church of San Francisco records (1910-1980) contains membership and financial records, correspondence, memoranda, issuances, and photographs, relating to Japanese Buddhist activities in the United States.
Extent:
11 manuscript boxes, 3 oversize boxes, 6 oversize folders (8.5 Linear Feet)
Language:
Japanese
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Buddhist Church of San Francisco records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Background

Scope and content:

The Buddhist Church of San Francisco records (1910-1980) contains membership and financial records, correspondence, memoranda, issuances, and photographs, relating to Japanese Buddhist activities in the United States. Photographs within the collection include those of the Coast District Conferences, Sunday School Teachers League Conferences, and Western Young Buddhist League Conferences.

Biographical / historical:

Founded in 1898, the Buddhist Church of San Francisco was the first Jodo Shinshu (Pure Land) Buddhist temple established in the continental United States and is the flagship temple of the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA). BCA has grown to have over 60 independent temples and many Fellowships and Sanghas with approximately 16,000 members throughout the United States.

The temple began with a group of Issei Buddhists establishing the first Buddhist organization in North America on July 30, 1898. On September 1, 1899, the first overseas ministers Rev. Dr. Rev. Shuye Sonoda and Rev. Kakuryo Nishima arrived in the United States to teach Jodo Shinshu primarily to Japanese citizens living in the United States and Japanese Americans.

Acquisition information:
Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 2018.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Buddhist Church of San Francisco records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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